


Two Rings

by auber_jean



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, cousins Yukhei & Renjun bc why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:21:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26281867
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/auber_jean/pseuds/auber_jean
Summary: Jeno simply grins, eyes curved in amusement. “I’m just saying that if you ever wanted to ask someone’s permission in taking the next step with Mark-hyung, I’m your best bet.”“What about Donghyuck?” Yukhei says.“If you think that you’re going to get Donghyuck’s approval just by asking, you are severely underestimating the lengths he would go to on Mark-hyung’s behalf.”
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Lee Jeno, Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 37
Kudos: 213





	1. An ill-timed proposal

**Author's Note:**

> My first foray into writing markhei. I've been wanting to get this fic out for a long time and now it's finally here.

Like most things, as far as Yukhei is concerned, it starts as a joke.

Sitting in the middle of the campus cafe, Yukhei waits for Renjun to arrive, backpack dropped by his feet, not even attempting to study before the starting time. It’s a pitiful excuse of procrastination, but Yukhei has made an art of putting off his film studies homework despite the looming due date since first year. He’s not about to break the habit now, and not at such an ungodly hour. 

Yukhei managed three days before Mark had kicked him out of their apartment in the morning, sick of seeing Yukhei hooked onto their PS4 all day and only emerging when Mark forcibly pulled him away to eat dinner. Which sounded kinder than it really was because, being the awful cooks they were, Mark knew better than to set foot in the kitchen without Yukhei there to shoulder the responsibility of potentially burning their building down. Both of them strongly believed in teamwork, even if it meant being scolded by their landlord for the second time that month. 

Yukhei had left the apartment reluctantly, shoving his books into his backpack as Mark threatened him not come back home until his work was finished otherwise, he’d wipe Yukhei’s hard drive clean. It’s an empty threat. For someone as technologically challenged as Mark, Yukhei doubts that he could pull off such a stunt. But Yukhei doesn’t like the idea of letting Mark down when he was clearly doing this for Yukhei’s benefit.

So here Yukhei is, sitting at the university cafe, staring solemnly at his lecture books, willing them to open themselves. Exam period was a mere week and a half away, and even though Yukhei had been intent on getting his act together for his final year, the actual application of the idea was a little harder to come by. His last resort was to enlist the help of his younger cousin to kick his ass into gear. An option that undoubtedly resulted in minor kicks to his pride, but Renjun was never ill-hearted in his methodology. The younger boy was as passionate about Yukhei’s successes as he was about his own.

Yukhei drops his head on top of his book with a loud sigh, a futile attempt to get the information to enter his brain through sheer osmosis. 

“It’s too early to be brooding,” a voice cuts in.

Yukhei startles, lifting his head from where he’d laid on the table, spotting his younger cousin sliding into the empty seat in front of him, looking far too composed for someone awake at such an awful hour. 

“I am not.”

Renjun raises a brow, setting down his order of jasmine tea on the table. “Enlighten me.”

“I was meditating,” Yukhei supplies after a few seconds, neatly avoiding the steely stare of his younger cousin. 

It’s useless, really. He’s known Renjun since birth, and the younger boy has mastered the ability to sift through Yukhei’s penchant for bullshit long before they had entered high school. Despite the distance of their childhood homes, their mothers have made sure that they kept in contact through countless video calls, spending summer holidays and celebrations together. By the time both of them had decided on going to university in Seoul, it had been like second nature.

Renjun opens his backpack, pulling out his binder, lecture notes organised by coloured tabs and sections, and sets it onto the table. In comparison, the sight of it makes Yukhei’s mangled notebooks look like a joke. But Yukhei has always been a purist at heart and therefore sums up the mess of his own notes to be a physical representation of his mental state when it came to his studies. No matter what Renjun says about the matter.

Renjun frowns at the pile of notes barely held together by its binding. “What is _that_?”

“My notes, obviously.”

“It’s your graduating year, ge. That barely looks like enough notes to have come from the last four weeks.”

It’s true. Yukhei may or may not have lost a good chunk of his notes to the tornado of a mess that is his bedroom floor, but Renjun didn’t need to know that. Yukhei shrugs in an attempt in nonchalance. “I’ll bring the rest of them tomorrow.”

Renjun narrows his eyes at him, which makes Yukhei squirm under his scrutiny, but soon enough lets it slide. 

“I’m setting the timer for fifteen minutes,” Renjun announces, already holding his phone to set the time.

Yukhei scrambles to arrange his notebooks and trying to find a pen somewhere in the bottom of his backpack. He’s sure he threw one in there at one point or another. After a minute of searching and coming up fruitless, he tosses a desperate look at Renjun. 

Renjun simply rolls his eyes, opening his pencil case and sliding a black pen across the table. 

~

After three sets of twenty minutes study sprints, Renjun concedes to a lunch break. Yukhei slumps onto the tabletop with an obnoxious exhale. The movement of it ruffling the loose pages of his notes against the table. 

He reaches out a desperate hand in the air. “Coffee, _please_.”

Renjun snorts. But soon enough goes off to order them a new set of drinks along with some sandwiches to tide them over. All on Yukhei’s paycheque, of course. Regardless, Yukhei takes to the food gratefully, eating them at as fast a rate that would satisfy his hunger and that wouldn’t leave Renjun disgusted. 

“Where’s Jeno?” Yukhei asks as if noticing the absence of Renjun’s beloved boyfriend for the first time that day. If Yukhei ever uttered that phrase in front of his cousin’s face, he’d sooner lose his ability to walk at the hands of Renjun’s wrath.

“He’s studying in solitary,” Renjun says with a shrug, eating his own share of lunch.

It was a common custom for Jeno to go off and study on his own as his preferred method. The results seemed to pay off because Jeno was easily at the top of his class. Renjun respected Jeno’s need to study alone, and never really minded the distance. More often than most, Yukhei would run into Jeno bent over a desk in the library, surrounded by his textbooks and notes. Yukhei could appreciate his work ethic, even if it differed so much from his own.

Yukhei glances at his phone, scrolling through his unchecked notifications from the past hour. Renjun was strict on social media use during study sessions and only let Yukhei use his phone if he needed to desperately Google something. 

He opens up an unread message from Mark. 

[ you alive ? ]

It makes Yukhei smile. Mark had kicked him out of the apartment roughly, pushing Yukhei out the door without so much as a by-your-leave, but Yukhei knows he did it with the best of intentions. Even still, Mark seemed to feel the slightest bit bad about it.

[ barely :(((( ]

[ chin up, bro :P ]

[ you owe me :(((( ]

[ dinner ?? my treat ]

[ Thai?? ]

[ you got it !! See you later ! ]

“You’re smiling creepily at your phone again,” Renjun’s voice cuts in.

Yukhei looks up sharply. “Am not!”

Renjun levels him with a flat stare. Yukhei knows he’s probably right, but he doesn’t have to admit it if he doesn’t want to. Mark made it easy to smile. And Yukhei was finding himself doing more often than he’d like to. 

“He’s buying you dinner again, isn’t he?” Renjun says a minute later.

Yukhei gasps dramatically, pulling his phone to his chest. “Are you spying on me?”

“You always make that stupid expression when Mark gives in to you.”

“I do not,” Yukhei shoots back, defensively. “And Mark does not _give in_ to me.”

“Of course, he does,” Renjun rebuts matter-of-factly. “Like that time when you accidentally made a hole in your apartment wall and Mark agreed to pay half to fix it. That time that you wanted to go to the university festival weekend and Mark had an assessment due the next week. Or that time when your mother came over the holidays and Mark helped you show her around the city—?”

Renjun gives him a curt look. “You guys are basically married, and you aren’t even dating yet.”

Yet.

It’s rich hearing that coming from Renjun, but for lack of better judgement, Yukhei’s mind latches onto the word. It’s not as he hasn’t heard it before. He and Mark have been the but of their friends jokes for their grossly domestic relationship. And Yukhei would have to be stupid not to have imagined it at some point. Dwelled on it, quantifying all the possibilities of what their relationship would be like. But merely thinking about dating Mark seemed like a far off dream, an impossibility almost. Yukhei would give anything to be with Mark — but he was willing to have the other boy in any way that Mark would allow him.

Even still, Renjun’s words manage to strike a nerve. And Yukhei, having grown up with Renjun for most of the childhood, was bound to have developed a petty streak meant for family only. 

So he bites back.

“Bold of you to be making fun of me and Mark, when you and Jeno act the same way!” Yukhei shoots back, miffed. 

“We’re _dating_ , ge,” Renjun snorts. “Besides, Jeno and I have–”

And for some reason, Yukhei’s mind automatically assumes the worst, jumping to conclusions without a second thought. He leans forward in his seat, eyes wide. “Your mum is gonna kill you if you get married before you graduate.”

“Who said anything about getting married?!” Renjun yelps, expression abashed. He looks like he’s about voice his disbelief further, but Renjun restrains himself, noticing the other customers in the cafe glancing their way. 

“Why would you even–?” Renjun hisses, before shaking his head. “You know, what? I’m not even going to bother trying to imagine how your mind works.”

“Hey–!”

Renjun waves him off dismissively. “Jeno and I aren’t getting married any time soon. If anything, there’s a bigger chance of you and Mark getting engaged before we do.”

Yukhei’s mouth snaps shut at that, sulking back into his seat. 

Jeno and Renjun were thinkers, and would likely plan their wedding over the span over a year before ever tying the knot. In some parallel universe where Yukhei and Mark were ever engaged, they’d more likely elope on a whim whenever the mood suited them. It was a sobering thought, but Yukhei still longed for it anyway. 

“I wish,” he mutters, a little too honestly. 

Renjun’s expression softens at that.

Yukhei’s crush on Mark has always been sort of a sore spot. Yukhei hadn’t spoken a word of it when he realised his feelings and instead chose to ruminate over it, lamenting over how it had blindsided him but ultimately realising the inevitable. But Renjun could spot the signs immediately and had only brought it up when Yukhei had shown up at his house, looking a little forlorn after a small argument with Mark over their study loads. Since then, Renjun never brought it up unless Yukhei wanted to talk about it. 

The younger boy sighs, leaning forward to push the chocolate muffin on his plate towards Yukhei. A peace offering of some sort, resembling how so many of their childhood scrabbles would end. Younger or not, Renjun was always kind at heart.

“Cheer up, ge,” he says with a small smile. “You still have your film studies summaries to finish.” 

Yukhei groans, before grabbing the muffin and taking a big bite.

—

Mark glances up from his laptop when Yukhei stumbles back into their apartment, falling face-first onto their couch without greeting. The couch had seen better days, considering it was a hand me down from Mark’s older cousin. But there was still something comforting about it.

Yukhei isn’t even trying to be subtle at this point. His brain is filled with too many dates and movie facts. And even more so, Renjun’s mere mention of marriage has Yukhei’s mind spinning, bringing up ideas that he had long abandoned. Yukhei wasn’t expecting it to make such an impact on him, but the idea hadn’t left his mind since.

“Rough day?” Mark asks after allowing Yukhei a minute to lament over his life.

Yukhei turns his head to glare, but ultimately gets distracted when he sees that Mark has switched out his contacts in favour of his wireframe glasses. With his head tilted in question, Mark’s eyes look so big and wide. It’s distractingly cute, so much that Yukhei heaves a deeper sigh and stuffs his head back into the couch cushion. 

“That bad, huh?” Mark laughs.

“You try studying with Renjun all day. See if you come out with half a brain cell left.”

“I have tried studying with him. We just get distracted by talking about aliens instead.” 

Yukhei snorts then. “Of course, you do.”

Despite how book smart Mark and Renjun were, it always amused Yukhei that the two of them could get so in-depth with the world of extraterrestrials. Yukhei didn’t believe in it himself, but he can’t discount their enjoyment of talking about the topic. It was endless. The last time the pair had gone at it, Yukhei and Jeno had resigned themselves to playing several rounds of PUBG on their phones while waiting for their respective roommates to move onto a different conversation topic. 

In the background, Yukhei hears Mark fiddle with the TV, switching the channel from the news over to Netflix. 

“You pick a movie,” Mark says in lieu of explanation. “I’ll order dinner.”

Yukhei drags his head up to give Mark an appreciative smile. “Thanks, man. What would I do without you?”

They’re heavy words, and they weigh out of Yukhei’s mouth as soon as he says them. But Mark can’t tell. Won’t ever be able to tell if Yukhei’s concerned. 

Mark just grins, phone and menu in hand. And it’s then that Yukhei realises that he’s in too deep. And that he’s so so _screwed_.

“Starve probably.”

Probably.

—

“I hope you know that if, and when, you decide to propose to my cousin that you ask for my permission first,” Yukhei announces when he sits down in the empty seat opposite Jeno.

The younger boy’s head shoots up, round eyes blinking from behind his glasses. “What?!”

Yukhei had spotted Jeno in the far-off alcoves in the library. A well-hidden spot in the library for the more studious folk in their university. Luckily, Yukhei had been in search of an obscure film text that his lecturer had told him to review. It had been three days since Yukhei’s unfortunate conversation with Renjun about certain _engagements_. And with Jeno in view, Yukhei wasn’t about to waste the opportunity in making sure that certain necessities were met.

Renjun might have thought their conversation was a joke, but Yukhei was nothing but a dedicated man.

He clears his throat in all seriousness, meeting Jeno’s curious gaze.

“Renjun’s mum told me to look after him when he moved out here, so it’s my obligation to look out for him,” Yukhei says as gravely as possible. 

When they had made their university plans, his auntie had given him a long-winded spiel on the importance of making sure that Renjun stayed out of trouble, with explicit detail on not dragging Renjun into any of his hair-brained schemes. Yukhei chose to ignore the vague accusation that he might be the cause of said trouble, and instead took it upon himself to play the role of his younger cousin’s guardian. Never mind the fact that Renjun spent more time babying Yukhei than it was the other way around. 

Still, Yukhei takes his responsibilities very seriously. 

Jeno stares at him in confusion, before bursting into laughter, catching the not-so-subtle glares of those studying around them.

Yukhei frowns. He liked to think that he was at least a little bit intimidating. But then again, Jeno has been privy to Yukhei’s antics for years thanks to being friends with Mark and Renjun, which may or may not have compromised Jeno’s overall impression of him. It was a sacrifice that had been made without much of a choice on his part. 

At Yukhei’s silence, Jeno sobers. “Oh, you’re serious.”

“Of course, I’m being serious! Jun is like a little brother to me.”

“Of course, he is,” Jeno agrees immediately with an earnestness that reminds Yukhei how much trust he has for the boy.

Still, Yukhei needs to make sure he says this right. “So, marriage?”

“ _Hyung_ ,” Jeno says after he’s finished with his bout of laughter. “You know we’re still in uni, right?”

“That hasn’t stopped anyone before,” Yukhei counters aimlessly. 

The countless horror stories of drunken nuptials or poorly thought Vegas weddings immediately come to Yukhei’s already frantic mind. He’s sure that there are some happy post-uni wedding stories out there, but he doesn’t think that his auntie would be impressed if the next time he and Renjun went back home for the holidays with the news of her only son getting engaged before the age of twenty. Yukhei already shivers at the thought.

Jeno looks miffed at the idea, but he seems to understand the gravity of Yukhei’s insistence and pushes his textbooks aside. The younger boy adjusts his glasses, meeting Yukhei’s eyes with a level gaze.

“Do you honestly think that Renjun would let us get married before graduating?”

Yukhei ponders the idea. 

His younger cousin was incredibly meticulous about his own life and was committed to achieving his goals no matter what happened around him. Even before Renjun and Jeno got together, Renjun was insistent on thinking things through to make sure that both of them we’re on the same page. It only so happened that Jeno was just as supportive of Renjun’s goals and dreams as much as Yukhei was. 

Complaints aside, Yukhei is more than sure that Jeno would only ever do what’s best for Renjun in the end. 

He sighs, “No.”

“I’ll be upfront with you, hyung. Jun and I have talked about it, but we’re not in the position to be getting married any time soon. When the time is right, then we’ll consider it. You don’t need to worry.”

An odd sense of relief floods Yukhei. Despite the faith he has that his baby cousin was more than responsible enough to make his own commitments, hearing it from Jeno himself was strangely reassuring.

“If and when it happens, you’ll be one of the first people to know, hyung.”

“You better,” Yukhei scoffs, satisfied. He trusts Jeno enough to follow through on that, although he’s sure Renjun might try and delay telling Yukhei out of spite once he undoubtedly hears about this.

Yukhei finally lets himself relax, settling back comfortably into his seat. His eyes already drifting around the library, becoming sleepy after what he would consider a job well done. 

“I call dibs on ring boy.”

Jeno laughs. “Not going for best man?”

“I’m aiming low, so that I’ll be flattered when Renjun asks me,” Yukhei says with a shrug. 

“Do I want to know what brought this all up?” Jeno raises a brow. 

Yukhei shakes his head, not wanting to divulge in the details. ”Hypotheticals.”

“Speaking of hypotheticals,” Jeno smiles, a little sly. Something about it reminds Yukhei of Renjun, which instinctively makes Yukhei paranoid.

“While marriage may be off the table for us, on the other hand, you and Mark-hyung are graduating next year...”

Yukhei shoots the other boy a curt look. “I don’t like what you’re implying, Jeno.”

Jeno simply grins, eyes curved in amusement. “I’m just saying that if you ever wanted to ask someone’s permission in taking the next step with Mark-hyung, I’m your best bet.”

“What about Donghyuck?”

It was hard not to forget about Mark’s childhood best friend. Donghyuck was a formidable force — intelligent and talented with an equally unpredictable personality. Mark often referred to the younger boy as ‘the bane of his existence’ that happened to follow him even up until university, but the remarks were half-hearted at best. Yukhei knew the pair’s friendship went above and beyond, and Mark’s complaints were just a part of the push and pull. Even still, part of Yukhei blanches at the thought of even _talking_ to Donghyuck about the idea of dating Mark, let alone marriage.

This time, Jeno laughs. It seems more foreboding than Yukhei would like it to be. 

“If you think that you’re going to get Donghyuck’s approval just by asking, you are severely underestimating the lengths he would go to on Mark-hyung’s behalf.”

—

Like all things in his life, Yukhei really should have known better.

The moment he steps out of his film criticism lecture, his eyes meet the unwitting stare of one Lee Donghyuck standing right outside the door, arms folded and posture ready to fight. Yukhei wouldn’t consider himself weak by any means. But with the knowledge that Donghyuck has taken Muay Thai lessons at one point, and Yukhei generally being a pacifist — Yukhei thinks that the fear building in his chest is completely is justified.

He’s barely within conversation range before Donghyuck tugs on his arm and drags him to the campus cafe without a word or explanation. Once they’re inside, Donghyuck drags him to the counter, ordering a cold brew before eyeing Yukhei wordlessly. Taking his cue, Yukhei makes his own order before paying for the two them. 

It’s only once their seated at a table tucked away in the back corner of the cafe that Donghyuck finally speaks: 

“What’s this about you wanting to propose to Mark?”

Yukhei chokes on a sip of his americano.

“I–“

“As far as I know, you two aren’t even dating.” Donghyuck leans forward, causing Yukhei to retreat backwards into his seat. He may be over six feet tall, but he knew better than to challenge the Donghyuck without some kind of game plan. “Or are you?”

“We’re not! I just— it was hypothetical!“

Donghyuck raises a brow. “Hypothetical?”

Yukhei is starting to get really tired of hearing that word. 

“It just came up! Because Jun was talking about Jeno—

Donghyuck snorts dismissively, “Those two might as well be married already.”

“How did you even find out? Did Jeno tell you?”

“Don’t worry golden boy didn’t spill your secret,” Donghyuck waves him off before flashing him a mildly sinister smile. “But Renjun was more than willing to rat you out.”

“Traitor,” Yukhei mutters.

“Renjun loves you.”

“I know he does,” Yukhei concedes begrudgingly. “He just has a funny way of showing it.”

Donghyuck shrugs before resting his elbow on the table, setting his chin on the palm of his hand. “Speaking of love, about Mark— “

“Look, it just came up,” Yukhei tries to explain. “It was a joke— “

“But you like Mark-hyung, don’t you?”

“Does _everyone_ know about my crush about Mark?” Yukhei says a little too loudly, catching the attention of the barista at the counter who may or may not be from his scriptwriting class. _God_.

“Well, Mark-hyung doesn’t, for one.”

Yukhei groans, slumping into his chair, head hitting the back with a loud thump. It should hurt a lot less the more he hears the fact, but he can’t help the way his stomach drops at the words. His life isn’t going to get any more pathetic than this. 

Yukhei’s thoughts drift back to his high school flashbacks. Back when the rest of the athletics club kept pushing him towards their senior manager once they had figured out that he liked her. It was weeks of excessive blushing and stuttered conversations until she had to take Yukhei to the side and let him down easy saying that she already had a boyfriend. Except this time, Yukhei has had the same crush for four years and everybody in their friend circle knows, while the love of his life has no idea. 

Yukhei’s love life is either forever doomed, or Mark is an oblivious idiot.

Donghyuck must pity him because at Yukhei’s silence he changes tactics. “Hyung, be honest. Are you serious about Mark-hyung?”

It doesn’t even take Yukhei a second to think about it. “Of course, I am.”

“And marriage?”

Yukhei winces, but continues on, figuring that honesty was the best way out of this bizarre interrogation. “If it comes up, I would love to. But we’re young and we have time. But you don’t have to worry about it, I’m pretty sure Mark doesn’t see me that way anyway.”

It hurts to say, but Yukhei’s always been a realist. Despite the number of dreams that he has for a future with Mark, he knows that he shouldn’t let his imagination take things too far. Hope is a dangerous thing.

Donghyuck levels him with an unreadable stare, something in it makes Yukhei feel uneasy.

But soon enough he says, “If you hurt him, I will literally kick your ass.”

Yukhei doesn’t doubt it. Donghyuck can hold himself in a fight if need be. He’s seen Donghyuck throw it down with Jaemin after a competitive game of Overwatch, which resulted in the both of them sitting on opposite ends of the couch with ice packs on their cheeks while Renjun cussed them out for a solid hour for being idiots. Yukhei had thought the entire situation was funny at the time, but after watching the petty fight go down and knowing that Donghyuck isn’t afraid to play dirty; Yukhei isn’t about to test how that threat.

“I’ll try my best not to.”

Donghyuck studies him for a minute before giving him a nod. “Well then, I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, Donghyuck stands, taking his coffee and walking out the door of the cafe. 

Left behind, Yukhei blinks, stunned. “What?” 

—

“Donghyuck scares me,” Yukhei says as soon as he sits on the couch.

Mark scoffs from where he’s seated on the floor at the coffee table, slumped over his textbooks like a model student he is. Yukhei would be doing the same if he weren’t trying to acclimatise from his post-Donghyuck trauma. 

“I’ve been telling you that for years, and only now you believe me?”

Yukhei can barely summon the energy to reply, so he simply slumps further into the couch, trying to let the chaos of the day bleed out of him. 

Mark gives him a sympathetic smile, patting Yukhei’s thigh. Yukhei tries not to revel in how much better it makes him feel. 

“Ice cream?”

Yukhei shoots him a pleading glance. “With the sprinkles?”

Mark just laughs and heads into the kitchen.

—

“You ratted me out?” is the first thing that Yukhei says when Renjun sits next to him. 

It’s been a week after the Donghyuck interrogation, and much like every other week, Yukhei is meeting Renjun and Jeno for lunch during their overlapping break. Most of these days were spent catching up on all the coursework that seemed to go over his head, but today Yukhei is on a mission.

Renjun barely looks miffed at the accusation. He simply sets down his lunch tray and drops his backpack at his feet.

“Okay, one, I didn’t even mention you, Donghyuck figured it out on his own. And two, did you honestly think that you’d get away with asking Mark to marry you without going through all the proper vetting first?” Renjun scoffs, taking a sip of his water from his tray. “You’re lucky that Donghyuck didn’t castrate you on sight.”

“I didn’t even say that I’d be asking Mark to marry me. Why is everyone throwing their two cents into something that isn’t even happening?”

“Let’s be real, ge. Everyone wouldn’t be off making such a big deal if there wasn’t an element of truth to it. Maybe we’re just waiting for both of you get your crap together and date.”

Yukhei is about to rebut that gem of a reply, when Jeno appears, sliding into the free seat next to Renjun, greeting his boyfriend with a kiss on the cheek. Renjun takes the affection with a pleased smile. Public displays of affection weren’t Renjun’s favourite thing, but in the presence of Yukhei, he’s learnt to let things slide because he knows that Jeno likes it. It would be cute if Yukhei weren’t brooding over his own failure of a love life. 

Setting his lunch on the table, Jeno turns to Yukhei with a beatific smile. “Hey hyung, I heard that Donghyuck is putting you through the initiation process.”

Yukhei involuntarily flinches at the mention. No one said anything about an initiation process. Was the entire process that serious? Was he gonna come out alive? Yukhei inwardly casts a farewell to his freedom for the next couple of weeks, ready for the inevitable paranoia of Donghyuck monitoring his every move.

“Careful, Jen. He’s fragile,” Renjun says with a snort, not the slightest bit empathetic to Yukhei’s internal meltdown.

Jeno at least has the decency to look apologetic. “It won’t be that bad, hyung. Donghyuck won’t do anything unnecessary.”

Yukhei gives him a narrowed glare. “Forgive me if I don’t find that convincing.”

Donghyuck had a penchant for dragging Mark into the most inane pranks that often got both of them into trouble with their RA during the times they lived in the same dorm. Now though, Donghyuck spent more of his time cultivating his schemes with much more stealth than one should. Yukhei is sure to this day that no one on the staff board has figured out who hacked the university PA system to play Michael Jackson’s discography for three straight hours. 

“I’d consider yourself safe since Johnny already likes you,” Jeno shrugs. “I’d only get worried if Donghyuck drags Taeyong and Doyoung into it.”

Taeyong and Doyoung were Mark’s friends and pretty much his older brother figures ever since Mark had stumbled into the student union room on the first day of freshman year. They cared for Mark as if he were their first-born son — with great affection and protective tendencies. But overall, they mean well. And Yukhei can appreciate the sense of family they give Mark whilst his parents are still back in Canada. 

Though Yukhei doesn’t quite know what to expect from them once someone poses a threat to Mark. Much less how they’ll react if Donghyuck is the one to set them off.

“They like me just fine!”

“Yeah, for _now,”_ Renjun says with a laugh.

“Now you’re just making me paranoid.”

“Just be yourself, ge.” It’s almost touching before Renjun follows it with, “Your honesty is one of your _few_ redeeming qualities.”

“Hey!” Yukhei complains, indignant. He sinks back into his chair, pushing his spoon through his overpriced bibimbap with a sulk. “How come you aren’t vetting Mark on my behalf?”

“I met Mark-hyung before you did, ge,” Renjun replies flatly, tossing a chip into his mouth, before sliding the plate to his left into Jeno’s waiting hands, who digs in happily.

Renjun and Mark had been attending the same English classes long before Yukhei had met him during one of the weekly international student meetings, bonding over Brooklyn Nine-Nine marathons before realising that they were in the same popular culture unit.

“Even still, you wouldn’t have hung around Mark that much if he didn’t introduce you to Jeno.”

Yukhei shoots a pointed look to the boy in question, Jeno, who’s halfway through a bite of his ramyeon. 

It’s a bit of a lie. Despite the fact that Renjun and Mark no longer have any shared classes, the two meet up frequently. Often with Renjun randomly appearing at their apartment to force Mark into watching movies with him when he knows that Mark has been overworking himself. They would’ve been friends regardless. But Yukhei still remembers the first time Renjun had mentioned Jeno after coming from a meet-up with Mark. Renjun’s interest in the other boy was obvious to Yukhei even if it wasn’t to himself. It took Renjun weeks to finally give in to Jeno’s invitations to not-so-subtle cafe study dates. But no matter how reluctant Renjun may have been in the beginning, Jeno had been more than willing to wait. It was sweet, even two years later. 

“What?” Jeno turns to his boyfriend, eyes wide. “Is that true Jun?”

Renjun looks a cross of embarrassed and pissed off. Yukhei is pretty sure it’s both. It’s petty revenge. While sweet at this moment, Yukhei makes a note to watch his back for the inevitable fall out that his cousin will undoubtedly get him back for. Nobody said that being petty didn’t run in the family.

“Yes,” Renjun huffs moodily, focusing his stare down at his remaining lunch in silence. Jeno looks absolutely endeared by it, immediately fawning over his embarrassed boyfriend. 

Renjun glances up for a second to mouth “you’re dead” in Mandarin. But Yukhei just laughs loud and hard. 

He’s happy to take his wins where he can get them.


	2. The Test

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which, Yukhei faces his biggest test. Kind of.

Feeding into his ever-present paranoia, Yukhei stays hyper-vigilant for the next couple of weeks. 

Mark questions the oddities in his behaviour after the third time Yukhei dodges an invite to dinner with Donghyuck and the rest of their friend group. Earlier in the week, Yukhei even had to opt-out of a dinner with Johnny, Mark’s former RA and makeshift older-brother figure — and Yukhei _loves_ hanging out with Johnny. But the threat of Donghyuck using that as an opportunity to exact his greater plan was too much of a risk.

Truth be told, Renjun had already laughed at him for being ridiculous before he took Yukhei out for lunch in what was, probably, the extent of his sympathy in this entire situation.

Mark gives him an assessing look. “Dude, you’re acting so weird.”

“I’m not.”

He is.

Yukhei had just tripped over the corner of the couch whilst trying to explain to Mark for the nth time as to why he wouldn’t be joining them for dinner. Not exactly one of his most poised moments, but he’s never really been that good at thinking on his feet. Literally.

After a moment of contemplation, Mark levels him with a loaded look. There’s something in it that Yukhei can’t quite read. “Did Donghyuck say something to you?”

Yukhei blanches. “No!”

Mark’s brows knit together. “If you say so…”

“Just—“ he pauses again. “Don’t take what Donghyuck says too seriously. He means well.”

Now, it’s Yukhei’s turn to feel confused. “Okay…”

There’s a moment of indecision that flickers on Mark’s face, before he just rolls his eyes, waving Yukhei off. Yukhei isn’t quite sure what he’s missed.

Mark picks up his backpack by the door. “Forget it. I’ll see you later.”

“Don’t forget my spring rolls!” Yukhei yells for a lack of anything better to say.

“Later!”

Yukhei sulks into the couch, settling into his designated crease on the left side and switches on the TV. 

—

“You’re acting weird,” Renjun says, highlighting a line in his textbook.

A solid hour into their study session with no word of criticism from his cousin, Yukhei had half-convinced himself that he was home free, but of course, he wasn’t. 

Yukhei scoffs. “Thanks, I hadn’t noticed.”

“It’s making Mark suspicious. He asked me if something was going on at home,” Renjun puts his marker down on the table to level Yukhei with a critical look. “I had to lie and say that you’ve been feeling homesick.”

Yukhei feels a bit bad for making Renjun lie for him. The other boy never liked doing do, no matter the circumstances, but Yukhei can’t help but be a little grateful at the lengths that his cousin was going to cover for him. But even still, Yukhei feels too high-strung to take Renjun’s underlying criticism lying down.

“You try having a target on your back and see if you act like a normal functioning human being!” Yukhei shoots back, checking over his shoulder in case someone overheard. They were holed up in the SciTech library for their study meet-up this time, and even though the likelihood of running into any of their friends was slim — Yukhei wasn’t taking any chances.

“Donghyuck isn’t going to snipe you out.”

“You don’t know that!” Yukhei ducks his head when he hears someone shush them from the neighbouring booth.

Renjun looks completely fed up. To be fair, he’s been the only person that Yukhei has been unloading his whining to when he inevitably gets left out from their friend outings because he’s trying to avoid Mark. 

“If Donghyuck had a problem with you, you would have known by now.”

“He’s biding his time.”

“You literally sound insane, right now.”

Yukhei sulks. “Well, I feel insane.”

“Ge, just go out with them next time. Hyuck won’t do anything,” Renjun says softly. “I promise.”

“I’ll think about it,” Yukhei finally concedes, sulking a little as he turns back to his textbook with a heavy sigh. 

—

In the end, it’s not so much a test as Yukhei was anticipating. 

Honestly, he should have expected it. Being in their final year, Yukhei and Mark had been doing their utmost best to prepare for the future, what with graduation looming over their heads. Yukhei did so with much grumbling and Renjun continuously kicking his ass in the form of nagging and study sessions. But Mark was too much of a lone wolf in that aspect, an overachieving one. Being an honours student, vice president of the student council, and an active member of the RICE society; it was a wonder that the boy hadn’t keeled over already. 

Yukhei is in the middle of his film music lecture when his phone goes off. He stifles his ringtone erupting from his pocket, trying to ignore the irritated stares of his classmates. 

He mutters a “sorry” and gives an embarrassed nod at the disapproving glare his lecturer, before grabbing his backpack and fleeing the lecture hall. Once he’s outside, his phone goes off again.

He picks up, not even bothering to check the caller ID. “What?”

“It’s Mark—” the voice on the other side starts, voice pitched in panic. 

Yukhei blinks, recognising the voice. “Donghyuck? What happened?”

“Mark-hyung collapsed during our meeting— he hit his head. I took him to the first aid, but they’re sending him to the hospital— I have my music production exam coming up, so I can’t— Hyung, can you go with him, _please_?”

Yukhei feels his insides go cold. He grips his phone tighter. “Where are you?”

“First aid bay by the library. We’ll wait for you here.”

That’s on the other side of campus, and on a good day, it would take Yukhei at least fifteen minutes to get there. But he doesn’t have that luxury of time now. 

“I’ll be there in five.”

He sprints. 

—

“I told you I was fine,” Mark grouses from where he’s lying on the hospital bed. The doctor had subjected him to continuous bed rest while they monitor his condition. But Mark, being the chronic workaholic that he is, isn’t taking to the diagnosis that well. 

Yukhei gives the IV drip a pointed look before turning back to Mark. “You dropped from exhaustion, Mark. That’s not fine.”

“It wasn’t that bad, Hyuck was just overreacting.”

Donghyuck was halfway to a frantic mess once Yukhei had arrived, huffing and puffing from the run. By then, Mark had regained consciousness and was trying to argue with the campus nurse that he was fine, but the bleeding cut on his head said otherwise. 

“You hit your head on the corner of the desk, Mark.”

“And now I have a cool battle scar to prove it. I feel fine, Yukhei.”

The new ‘battle scar’ was three stitches just above Mark’s left eyebrow. It makes Mark look a little more rugged and less refined from the honour student boy-next-door look that he has, much to Yukhei’s dismay. As attractive that it may be, Yukhei would much prefer that Mark wasn’t hurt at all. 

Yukhei reaches over to grab Mark’s free hand, avoiding the IV drip. He meets Mark’s eyes. “Can you _please_ just listen to your body and rest?”

Mark looks startled, and Yukhei makes to pull away, feeling far too intimate and far too serious for both of them. But then a mere second later, Mark’s hand grips firmly around Yukhei’s own, as if holding on for dear life. 

“I— just, okay. Fine,” Mark manages. He huffs, “I’ll try.”

“Good.” Yukhei finds himself grinning wide. His thumb rubbing against the back of Mark’s hand fondly. “You’re far too stubborn for your own good.”

Mark scoffs, pulling away in jest. Yukhei tries not to miss the touch. “You’re one to talk.”

Yukhei laughs, leaning back into the uncomfortable plastic chair that hospitals seem to be filled with, finally able to relax. It had been a fifteen-minute ride to the hospital, and another hour before they were able to be seen and Mark taken in for observation. Yukhei’s brain was wired into a frenzy the entire time, sending update texts to Renjun knowing that the boy would contact Donghyuck as soon as his exam was finished. 

It was only now that Yukhei felt like he could relax. He exhales, letting his shoulders slump tiredly. They’d been waiting in the observation area for three hours now, and the time was approaching 6:00 p.m. 

“What about your lecture?” Mark asks, breaking the steady silence.

Yukhei shrugs. “I’ll just rewatch it online later.”

“You can leave if you need to.”

“It’ll be fine.”

“It’s our final year, Yukhei. I’m not going to let you fail—”

Yukhei narrows his eyes. “I’m not gonna leave you, Mark—”

“Lee Minhyung!” A voice bellows, interrupting their argument before it can even start.

Mark’s eyes go wide in recognition. “You called _them_?”

Yukhei coughs, avoiding Mark’s accusing eyes. “They wanted to know that you were okay.”

More like Yukhei had sent Taeyong a courtesy text, letting him know that he would be taking Mark to the hospital. This was followed by a barrage of text messages from both Taeyong and Doyoung, asking for updates with minor scolding before asking how Yukhei was holding up and if he needed help. If Mark had caught wind of it earlier, he’d immediately tell Yukhei off. Mark didn’t like to trouble anyone if he could help it. The damn martyr. 

“You shouldn’t have—”

“He shouldn’t have what?” Doyoung cuts in as soon as he pulls apart the curtains, walking through with Taeyong in tow. The pair are dressed casually, likely having come from home after work. 

“—come by,” Mark finishes lamely, turning to his newly arrived guests, withering under their accusing stares. “You didn’t have to.”

Doyoung waves his complaints away. 

“We would have come earlier, but Taeyong-hyung wanted to cook you some dishes,” Doyoung explains, lifting a paper bag that most likely filled with Mark’s favourite dishes. Yukhei knows this from the number of times Taeyong had sent a care package to their dorm to make sure that the two of them were eating decently. “He knows how picky you are with hospital food.” 

“I’m not picky,” Mark sulks.

Taeyong ignores him. “I made your favourites,” he says, dishing out the small containers filled with dishes and setting them out onto the table. He lays out the final container from the bag. Mark reaches for it in interest, but Taeyong gently slaps his hand away. 

“That’s not for you. It’s Yukhei’s,” he explains without any qualms, nudging the said container towards Yukhei. 

“Eat up. I know you wouldn’t have gotten anything substantial besides a chocolate bar from the vending machine down the hall.” Taeyong narrows his eyes at Yukhei in scrutiny. Yukhei averts his eyes, trying to not feel guilty about the offending chocolate wrapper shoved into the pocket of his jeans.

“Aren’t you guys busy?” Mark complains, folding his arms, while Doyoung pokes at him to take the proffered chopsticks. Mark takes them reluctantly, but he can’t hide the satisfied look of interest as he peruses which dish to eat first. 

Taeyong sits in the spare visitor’s chair on the left side of the bed. “We are, so imagine my surprise when Yukhei has to call us and tell us that you collapsed. Mark, we’ve _talked_ about this.”

They had. On numerous occasions. Taeyong admittedly shares the same workaholic tendencies, so he keeps his chiding to a minimum. But Doyoung always likes to complain that that is exactly where Mark had learnt it from. 

Yukhei still remembers the second semester into freshman year when Doyoung had learnt that Mark was overloading his subjects in an attempt to graduate earlier, all the while still staying active in his countless clubs and societies, not to mention the student union. It was only under Doyoung’s loving scrutiny and advice did Mark agree to slow down and enjoy his uni life, instead of bulldozing through it with his tunnel vision. 

“Do you need to scold me while I’m eating?” Mark complains around a mouthful of beef.

“And when should I do it, Mark?” Doyoung spoons another serving of vegetables onto Mark’s plate. No doubt fuelled by his disbelief in their ability to feed themselves with anything substantial. “Even when I told you not to overdo it.”

Mark snaps his mouth shut, knowing a loss when he sees one. Yukhei struggles to stifle a snort of laughter, catching Doyoung’s attention.

“Thank you for calling us. There’s no way this _baby_ would have done it himself.”

“I can hear you,” Mark grunts, not even bothering to fight of the nickname.

“Well, good,” Doyoung says, rubbing a caring hand through Mark’s hair. “Because you were supposed to.”

~

Doyoung and Taeyong only decide to leave once the doctors have given Mark the go signal, chastising him all the way out the door, much to Mark’s dismay. Yukhei simply nods along, half out of agreement and half out of trying not to get on their bad sides, lest they start scolding him too. It’s all out of love, he knows. Mark does too, if his grumbled complies have anything to say about it. 

The older pair drop them off back to their apartment, Taeyong unwilling to let Mark brave public transport injured. The car ride itself is quiet, Doyoung at the wheel and Taeyong in the passenger seat as nav-man despite having visited numerous times since they moved there. They make it home in one piece, with Mark more than willing to escape the overbearing clutches of his ‘adoptive’ parents. 

“Take care of him, okay?” Doyoung says once Mark is already out of the car with Taeyong giving him a run-down of the other dishes he’s made.

“Always.” 

The words come easy. They always have when it came to Mark. 

Doyoung looks at him, considering. On any other given day, Yukhei would have felt twitchy under the older male’s gaze, but he knows that Doyoung is one of the kindest people he’s ever met, despite the slightly aloof exterior he projects. 

“I’m glad he has you, Yukhei,” Doyoung says, pausing. “Just promise me that you’ll let him take care of you too.”

Yukhei isn’t quite sure how to take that, so he merely nods. Which seems to be enough because Doyoung moves away from where he’s leaning on the car to say goodbye to Mark and pry Taeyong away from where he’s fussing over Mark’s entire being.

“ _Okay,_ can you please leave now?” Mark says when Yukhei walks up to them. He looks exasperated and his hair is sufficiently ruffled from where Taeyong was fiddling with it. 

“Eat your vegetables, Mark Lee. Watermelon isn’t the only food that exists.”

Taeyong turns to Yukhei, levelling him with a serious look. “And you, don’t enable him.”

Yukhei gives him a salute. “Yes sir.”

“I’m sure the kids will be round to scold you later,” Taeyong says with a telling smile. 

Yukhei doesn’t doubt it for a second.

—

Sure enough, that evening, Donghyuck and Renjun storm into their apartment with a marginally less fired up Jaemin, and Jeno in tow. The latter carrying a whole large watermelon in his arms. Yukhei stands by the door, baffled as they trail in one after the other. 

“The kids are here,” he calls after them, belatedly.

It’s a little too late for the warning because, by the time Yukhei walks back to the living room, they all stand crowding Mark at his seat on the couch, heavy frowns upon their faces. Disappointed and worried at the same time. It’s a marvel that Mark doesn’t immediately crumble under the pressure.

It’s Donghyuck, of course, who starts. “You could have _died_.”

“I did _not_.”

“Well, you could of, if I didn’t valiantly save you.”

Jaemin snorts. “All you did was panic and yell for the nurse.”

Donghyuck elbows the other boy in the gut but otherwise doesn’t react. 

“Are you really okay, hyung?” Renjun cuts in, settling in the spare space on the couch. 

“I’m good, I promise. The hyung’s already told me off, so you can save it,” Mark says gravely. The group of them let out hums of agreement. They all knew how well Doyoung and Taeyong could make Mark eat a slice of humble pie. Even if they were the kindest hyungs ever. 

Donghyuck looks halfway to complaining, but he seems to relent, shoulders slumping for a mere second before his focus shifts, inwardly calculating his next move. 

“Fine, but we’re staying for dinner,” he declares. “We brought dessert.” He points to where Jeno is still holding onto the watermelon.

Jeno steps forward, presenting the large fruit like a prize. “Get well soon, hyung.”

Mark’s eyes brighten at the sight of the gift in question. Yukhei takes pity on Jeno, having been tasked with holding onto the watermelon since their posse’s arrival. He takes it from Jeno’s hands, ready to take to the kitchen. “I’ll go cut this up.”

The rest of the evening is spent yelling over which movie to watch and making a mess of their apartment. Over the years, Yukhei has grown used to the chaos of Mark’s friends’ group, either joining in or simply watching on the sidelines. Nowadays, he finds himself integrated into the group somehow, slotting into the mayhem with comfortable ease.

After putting the remaining plates away, Yukhei settles himself on the couch next to Mark, whilst the rest of them start arguing over who’s turn it is on the PlayStation. He bumps his shoulder against Mark’s.

“You doing okay?” 

He winces when Donghyuck and Jaemin burst into yells at the television. 

“Lee Donghyuck, move your _fat head_!”

“You did _not_ just call my head fat, Na Jaemin! Stop hiding and let me shoot you!”

“Yah—!” Renjun yells in retaliation. Yukhei can always rely on his cousin to play mediator for the other boys’ madness. 

Yukhei tunes them out, turning back to Mark to gauge his condition. 

“I’m getting tired of hearing that question today,” Mark sighs after a moment. He doesn’t look particularly annoyed by it, so Yukhei isn’t too worried. Mark sinks further into the couch, leaning into Yukhei’s side.

Yukhei shifts a little to let Mark lean into him more comfortably. “We ask because we care.”

“I know.” Mark knocks his shoulder against Yukhei’s in return with a smile. It’s so honest and sincere that Yukhei falters at the sight of it, winded.

Yukhei smiles back, squeezing Mark’s knee. 

“Good.”

~

It’s after round seven of Overwatch and a mild scuffle later that Mark kicks the lot of them out. Yukhei feels slightly apologetic about it when Jeno ends up silently clearing up and guides an annoyed Renjun towards the door after an argument over Donghyuck’s team kill. Yukhei can only be thankful that he wasn’t playing during that round.

“We’ll see you tomorrow, hyung,” Jeno says, arms wrapped around Renjun’s back like a koala as he shuffles them out the door. To Yukhei’s relief, Renjun does not look nearly as put out as he did earlier. 

Yukhei looks over to where Donghyuck is chiding Mark for the last time until the elder launches a cushion at the younger boy’s head.

Yukhei waits by the door, but just as Donghyuck is about to leave he lingers. Yukhei holds his breath, ready for inevitable fall out of the boy’s previous threat, but Donghyuck’s next words take him aback.

“Thanks for coming with him,” Donghyuck says after a minute silence.

“Of course.” 

It wasn’t a question. If Mark needed him, Yukhei would do anything in his power to be there. It was a fact, and today’s events only proved it. The panic that had flood him when he heard that Mark had been hurt is never one that Yukhei wants to live through again as long as he can help it.

“Mark-hyung is like a brother to me, and I only want the best for him. You’re a good guy, hyung, _really_. I knew that, but today just cemented that fact for me.”

“So, you don’t need to worry about the whole initiation process. I was joking, mostly,” Donghyuck adds with a laugh. “Just—” he pauses, seeming to mull over his words. “Give Mark-hyung more credit, okay?”

Yukhei blinks. 

“What do you mean?”

Donghyuck levies him with a long look, before shaking his head. “Trust me.”

Yukhei isn’t quite sure how to react to that, and he’s about to ask when Jaemin’s voice comes from outside.

“Donghyuck-ah! You have two minutes to get down here before I drive off without you!” 

“That’s my ride,” Donghyuck says with a smirk, returning to his usual demeanour. It’s strange how comforted Yukhei feels by it, despite living in fear of it this past two weeks.

A long honk sounds from outside. It’s piercing and loud, and Yukhei can only hope that their neighbours don’t wake up at the sheer noise of it. It’s times like these that make Yukhei regret choosing an apartment on the first floor. 

“Do you and Jaemin ever not fight?”

“It’s not fighting.”

Yukhei raises his brows in disbelief. Flashbacks of when the pair had ended up in a long-winded argument over animal facts that led to their group banning trivia nights from their weekly meet-ups forever. Yukhei can barely recall a moment when Donghyuck and Jaemin hadn’t delved into a petty argument at one point or another.

“ _Right_.”

Donghyuck just smiles secretly before sauntering away. “See you, hyung!”

~

“What was that about?” Mark asks when Yukhei returns. 

“You remember when I said that Donghyuck scares me?”

“Yeah?”

“Still true.”

Things go back to normal after that. 

Mark slows down and Yukhei finds himself getting back into his uni routine. Over the next couple of weeks, Yukhei monitors Mark’s condition, hovering around offering his help whenever Mark so much as stumbles — much to the other boy’s dismay. He accompanies Mark to his doctor’s check-up to get his stitches removed, and unfortunately, the scar actually does make Mark look hotter. But that is a fact that Yukhei will be taking to his grave.

But the more that Yukhei gets used to things, the more his thoughts drift back to Mark — their friendship and what their relationship could be. It’s hard not to when they spend the majority of their time together. Call him a masochist at this point, but Yukhei is sure that it would hurt much more if he were to try and stay away from Mark instead.

Instead, Yukhei lets his mind wander. It’s his unwavering optimism that keeps him hoping for something, anything. No matter how crazy it seems. The feelings overwhelm his body. Yukhei has always been an emotional guy, and he feels like he’ll lose his mind if he keeps bottling his thoughts up like this. So much like with everything else in his life, Renjun ends up being the one that Yukhei ends up brooding to.

“I can literally feel your pathetic moping over the phone,” Renjun says after a long bout of silence.

“I’m not moping.” Yukhei scrolls through the webpage on his laptop, browsing through the array of ring designs. He vetoes any of the ones that seem a little too ostentatious. Mark was never one for overly flashy accessories if any at all. 

He stops at a picture of a simple silver band, eligible from engraving on the inside. It’s pretty much perfect. His insides twinge at the thought of Mark wearing the ring on his finger. God, he’s in deep. 

“Do you think that Mark would want something flashy?” Yukhei voices out anyway, although he already thinks he knows the answer. 

Renjun pauses. 

“I think he’d like whatever you give him, ge.”

—

On the other hand, the hypothetical engagement has become their friends worst kept secret. 

“I think you guys should go for a summer wedding,” Donghyuck announces as he slides into the empty seat across from Yukhei. 

They’re seated on the benches of the university lawns. Yukhei had been studying since that morning, slaving away to prepare for his film history paper. He’s about halfway to tearing his hair out with his lecture notes spread across the table. Conversely, Donghyuck looks completely calm for a student in the middle of exam week. But Yukhei attributes that to the younger boys’ tendency to appear unruffled by anything that could possibly shake any normal human being.

Yukhei’s head shoots up, immediately glancing around in case Mark is in the vicinity, despite how unlikely it is because Mark is in his literature lecture. Donghyuck looks at him like he’s crazy. 

“What are you talking about?”

Donghyuck shrugs, far too nonchalantly for someone who’s been making a habit of trying to expose Yukhei’s increasingly pathetic crush. 

The last time the group had hung out together, Donghyuck had made a point humming the wedding march under his breath every time Mark had come into Yukhei’s proximity. The first time it happened, Yukhei had ended up choking on his coke mid-sip, resulting in Mark slapping his back and handing him his water bottle to get Yukhei to stop.

It’s not ill-hearted, if not incredibly juvenile. Yukhei isn’t sure if he’d rather be back to square one when he was living in fear of Donghyuck’s wrath. But Renjun assured him that this was the better option.

“I’m just giving you ideas,” Donghyuck says with a smile. 

“Forgive me if I don’t think your ideas are entirely necessary,” Yukhei mutters, but not without adding. “Besides, Mark prefers autumn.”

Being the Canada boy that he is, Mark has a preference for the cooler months, but even he liked to be able to go outside without freezing his ass off in the middle of winter. Fall was the nice medium, and Yukhei had a soft spot for seeing Mark get sentimental over the turn of autumn leaves.

For some reason, Donghyuck beams at that. It would be almost cute if it wasn’t also mildly terrifying. Placated somehow, Donghyuck continues, “I suggest you veto all Mark’s opinions on getting a watermelon flavoured cake.”

Yukhei winces at that thought. As open as he was with his food combinations, there are some things that he’d like to keep simple. 

“Mark said—” the boy trails off as he looks over Yukhei’s shoulder. The expression on Donghyuck’s face goes pale, and the younger immediately ducks his head down under the table in a ridiculous manner.

Yukhei just stares. “I’m gonna guess that you’re hiding.”

“Nope!” Donghyuck denies, already ducking around the table and seeking refuge behind Yukhei like a makeshift shield. Behind him, Donghyuck’s bag clutters onto the grass. 

Yukhei frowns, immediately squinting across the quadrangle to see who Donghyuck’s hiding from. Sure enough, at a distance he spots Jaemin stomping across the grass towards them, looking less than pleased.

“Is he coming?” Donghyuck whispers.

“What did you do now?”

“Why do you always assume that I did something?”

Yukhei barely stifles a snort at that. 

“Lee Donghyuck!” Jaemin yells as soon as he’s within hearing distance. 

Donghyuck shoots Yukhei a desperate look. “If he asks, I’m not here.”

“Too late.”

A few seconds later, Jaemin finally arrives at the table, arms folded, and usual smiley demeanour soured into something a little less inviting as he peers over Yukhei’s shoulder to glare at his friend. 

But still, Jaemin is not without manners. “Hi hyung,” he greets, tightly. “Have you seen a _rat_ anywhere?”

At his back, Yukhei feels Donghyuck curl into himself even further.

Not wanting to sell anyone out, Yukhei tuts, “Be nice.”

Jaemin sighs. “He knows what he did. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be _hiding_.”

“Do I want to know?” Yukhei asks more out of obligation than curiosity, although he’s sure that Mark would hear of it eventually. The kids always ended up running back to him anyway. It was cute how Mark still managed to be their leader since their high school years. 

Jaemin shakes his head. “You’ll find out soon enough.” 

He peers over Yukhei’s shoulder. “Come out, you coward.”

Donghyuck stands up abruptly, “I’m no coward.”

“We’ll be going, hyung. I’m sorry about this loser—”

“No, it’s—” Yukhei tries to cut in, but Jaemin is already tugging at Donghyuck’s arm, while the other boy struggles to grab his backpack in the process.

“You’re a keeper, hyung!” Donghyuck yells over his shoulder as Jaemin pulls him away. “Don’t let Injun tell you otherwise!”

Yukhei watches as the two disappear across the quad lawns. Donghyuck wriggling under Jaemin’s hold to re-loop their arms together, clinging on for dear life as he fires off into a long speech before shoving his head into Jaemin’s neck in what seems to be his version of an apology. 

Yukhei just shakes his head and turns back to his essay. Maybe it’ll make more sense than the inanity that is Mark’s friends. 

—

Yukhei has been more than ready to let the idea of marrying Mark go. A mere fever dream that popped into his mind one bizarre day. Thinking about marriage during university was already crazy enough as it is, let alone thinking about it when he and Mark weren’t even dating. 

But Yukhei’s always been a dreamer, a helpless fool that he is. So, he at least tries to distance himself from the idea, burying himself in his school work with an enthusiasm that even has Renjun looking at him strangely during their study sessions. 

It’s better this way. 

He’s even got the hang of by-passing Donghyuck’s overly suggestive quips over lunch with him and Mark, shrugging them off with laughter and steering the conversation to how they used to be. Fun and carefree without the tinge of an imagined matrimonial happily ever after. 

But of course, it’s then that life decides to play a big joke on him. 

It’s when both of them are done with dinner and sitting in front of the television watching Friends re-runs when Mark brings it up.

“So, I heard some things,” Mark starts. 

“Hmm?”

“Just in case this hypothetical engagement pushes through, I would like a plain silver ring, okay,” Mark says plainly, before turning back to the TV.

Yukhei’s heart leaps at the knowledge that the ring he had in mind is perfect. But then his mind finally catches up with what Mark has just said. 

Huh.

“What?” 

His mouth is wide open, like a poor attempt in mimicking a fish out of water. Yukhei’s sure he looks like an idiot, staring at Mark with unabashed wonder. But he’s too in shock to care.

On the other hand, Mark looks like the perfect picture of calm — like he hasn’t just shattered Yukhei’s entire world with one sentence.

“You know, in case you were wondering.”

At a loss of words, Yukhei nods wordlessly and slowly turns back towards the television. 

_What?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ngl my favourite line of this chapter is Jaemin calling Donghyuck a fat head lmaoo


	3. 1+1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come together.

To Yukhei’s poor judgement, he does what he always does when he panics: he runs. 

He doesn’t go far, of course. Mostly because semester break has begun and staying holed up in the library makes him look less like a diligent student and more like a homeless guy. Hong Kong is too far away, and Yukhei is sure that his mother would throw a fit if he wasted his yearly trip home on an existential crisis. 

So, Yukhei chooses his next best option.

“What are you doing here?”

Renjun levels him with a flat look, hand still on the doorknob. He’s still dressed in what are probably his pyjamas — a pair of shorts and a slightly too large T-shirt with the university track team logo that is most likely Jeno’s.

“Surprise?” Yukhei tries. 

“It’s _7:00_ a.m. in the morning, ge.”

“I brought breakfast.”

Yukhei knows better than to show up empty-handed at the potential wrath of his cousin, especially so early in the morning. 

Renjun glances down at the plastic bag in Yukhei’s hands. Some congee from the younger’s favourite restaurant as well as some dumplings, especially ordered by Yukhei hurriedly convincing the owner that may or may not have resulted in Yukhei promising to frequent the restaurant for the rest of his take-out eating days.

Still, Yukhei is fine with the sacrifice, considering that this is his best option. Sneaking out of the apartment at 6:30 a.m. with his duffle-bag on his shoulder while Mark was still asleep was a strategic move. A mildly pathetic one, if anyone is asking. But Yukhei has his own worries to sort out and staying in close proximity with the boy at the core these problems doesn’t help at all. 

At his silence, Renjun seems to consider. He eyes the bag with increasing interest before pushing the door open wide for Yukhei to step inside. 

“You’ll explain yourself _after_ we eat.”

They settle in Renjun and Jeno’s kitchen. It’s on the small side —only slightly bigger than the one in Yukhei’s own apartment— but the size is appropriate for just the pair, especially since Renjun is the only one who really cooks between the two of them. The only time that Yukhei has ever seen Jeno in the kitchen was to cook ramyeon when Renjun had gone back to China for last New Year’s break.

“Where’s Jeno?” Yukhei asks.

Renjun rolls his eyes as he rifles through the plastic bag of take out, humming in delight when he spots the service side dishes inside, a specific type of prawn and chive dumplings that Renjun has loved since they were kids. 

“Morning cardio.”

“Running?”

“Cycling,” Renjun corrects, scooping the congee into the ceramic bowls that Yukhei took out of the cupboard. 

They finally sit down at the small dining table. Renjun immediately digging in, despite his complaints about lack of sleep earlier. Yukhei tries to swallow his congee, taking small spoonful’s, whilst his mind tries to come up with the words to explain himself. Across from him, Renjun eats silently, glancing at Yukhei from the corner of his eyes but otherwise says nothing.

It’s a skill that Renjun has fostered over the years, immediately sensing when Yukhei has something he wants to share, but not directly asking about it. Instead, he waits it out until Yukhei inevitably tells him, giving Yukhei the time to sort out his own thoughts. It’s during times like these when Renjun exhibits the patience of a saint. 

Halfway through his congee and at Renjun’s unbearable silence, Yukhei can’t take it anymore, so he blurts, 

“Mark said yes.”

Renjun almost drops the spoon he’s holding, barely avoiding soup splashing onto the table. He stares at Yukhei with wide eyes. “What?!”

“Mark said yes.”

“Yes, as in?”

Yukhei swallows, feeling the same swell of disbelief fill his chest. “To getting married. Engaged—”

“You asked him?!”

“No! He just mentioned it out of nowhere— it’s hypothetical— I don’t know—” Yukhei feels himself freeze in realisation. “Oh my god, Mark said yes.”

“If he said yes, why the hell are you here?!” Renjun looks at him as if he’s as stupid as Yukhei feels at this moment. 

“Because Mark said _yes_.”

Renjun’s face turns into disbelief. “What?”

“I panicked!” 

“What do you mean you panicked?”

“How did Mark even know?”

Renjun gives him a flat stare. “Are you really asking that?”

Yukhei sinks into his seat, his head hitting the back of his chair. “ _Lee Donghyuck_.”

“Look at it this way, Donghyuck helped you make more progress with Mark than you were able to make in the whole three years you’ve been in love with him,” Renjun says, managing to look a little apologetic for his friend’s lack of discretion.

Yukhei shoots Renjun an unamused look. “Not helping.”

The sound of the front door opening cuts them off as Jeno walks in at that exact moment, dressed in his workout gear and water bottle in hand. His face lights up in surprise at the two of them.

“Hey! Hyung—”

“He’s freaking out,” Renjun cuts in.

“I’m _not_ freaking out,” Yukhei instantly rebuts, despite the fact that he is _very much freaking out_. 

Jeno blinks, joining them at the table, only stopping to press a kiss on the top of Renjun’s head in greeting before sitting down in the spare chair and taking a spoonful of Renjun’s congee. “What happened?” 

Yukhei can barely muster the strength to repeat the situation when he can barely process it as it is. His mind is complete mush and he’s sure that the early hour in making him feel even worse. Instead, he slams his head onto the dining table, pressing his cheek against the cold tabletop, letting out a pained groan. He deserves it, probably.

“Is he okay?” Jeno asks, concerned. 

Renjun just shakes his head. 

—

It takes a while, but Yukhei does manage to convince Renjun to let him stay with them for the next couple of days. Jeno was much happier to oblige and didn’t mind the extra company. Renjun only agreed to it on the condition that Yukhei doesn’t completely cut Mark off — not that Yukhei ever could. 

He procrastinates a little before sending Mark a text about his whereabouts and that he’ll be away without divulging too many details. After sending the message, Yukhei switches his phone onto ‘Do not disturb’ mode — too afraid to see Mark’s reply. 

Overall, living with the couple wasn’t bad. 

Having invaded their home, Yukhei has the manners to pay his share when ordering take-out and paying for the groceries that Renjun sends him on errands for. He’s generally tidy, —unlike the conundrum that are his lecture notes— he makes extra sure not to leave his stuff lying about. But then again, Renjun and Jeno’s apartment was its own style of organised chaos.

Renjun would, in turn, cook for their makeshift family of three, but not without any complaining, of course. Yukhei knows Renjun enjoys cooking though. It was one of his favourite things to do when spending time with their grandmother, helping chop vegetables whilst learning the secret family recipes. And with Yukhei with them now, it gives Renjun the opportunity to cook some of Yukhei’s favourite dishes. 

Jeno and Renjun have never been the kind for overly expressions of PDA, save for the occasional handholding and hugs. But now Yukhei was invading their home and private time, incidentally, becoming privy to the more affectionate side to his cousin’s relationship, much to his dismay.

“You can leave at any time, you know.” Renjun rolls his eyes when Yukhei catches the couple making out against the kitchen counter in search of breakfast.

Jeno has the decency to look at least a little bit embarrassed, but otherwise doesn’t let go of the comfortable grasp he has on Renjun’s waist. It would be cute if it didn’t simultaneously make Yukhei nauseous. 

“Morning, hyung.”

Yukhei grunts, nodding in greeting.

“You going out today?” Jeno asks as he sidesteps Renjun to reach into the cupboard for the box of cereal. He hands it to Yukhei who takes it with grateful hands. His motor skills have been dubious at best whenever he wakes up first thing in the morning. Mark always makes fun of him for it, but Mark is only marginally better. 

“Yeah, gotta meet with my academic advisor.” Yukhei pours his bowl and sits at the dining table, digging in. 

Jeno sits across from him with his own bowl. “Everything alright?”

“Just gotta finalise my units to make sure I graduate on time,” Yukhei hums.

Renjun joins them, setting down a plate of toast in the middle of the table. Yukhei takes one, spreading peanut butter onto it and taking a bite. 

Renjun raises his brows, “Aren’t you on track to graduate anyway?”

Yukhei avoids Renjun’s gaze, staring down at his bowl of cereal, shovelling it into his mouth. “Doesn’t hurt to be sure.”

Yukhei hasn’t spoken about it to anyone. His grades are fine. Despite the lax demeanour that most people know him for Yukhei is a perfectionist at heart. He works hard, tries hard, but also tries to make it look as painless as possible. Studying with Renjun was just another failsafe. 

It was already a big deal for his parents to let him attend university away from home, let alone another country. And now that his time at university is nearing its end it sets Yukhei on edge, wanting everything to fall into place. The mere possibility of anything not going according to plan scares him.

Mark is usually the one to listen to the brunt of Yukhei’s complaints about uni work — complete with hums and grunts of solidarity, that although Mark doesn’t give Yukhei placating answers, Yukhei knows that he cares. But now, talking to Mark isn’t an option. Something that is Yukhei’s own fault. By his own admission.

That being said, Yukhei hasn’t cut Mark off completely. He never could. So Yukhei still responds to Mark’s texts, messaging him like they usually do — sending meme’s and prank videos that make him laugh. Mark responds in kind. 

It makes Yukhei miss Mark like crazy. Even though he could easily go back and settle back into their shared apartment, talking to Mark face to face — but part of him still stays away, because if he goes back now, nothing will change. And that would hurt him even more.

There’s just so much that Yukhei isn’t sure of. 

“I’ll see you guys when I get back,” Yukhei says, after speeding through the last of his cereal into his mouth. 

He washes up and leaves the apartment before Renjun can say anything more. 

—

Yukhei shuffles through the door of the apartment, plastic bags in hand, dropping them on the floor of the hallway. On the way back, he had stopped by the store to buy last-minute groceries, figuring that he could cook up some fried rice and stir-fry for dinner to give Renjun a break from cooking all the time. Yukhei doesn’t cook a lot, but his mother made sure that he knew his way around the kitchen before he left Hong Kong out of fear of him going hungry. He’s not the best cook, but he’s a hundred percent sure that he’s better than Mark’s inability to fry a single egg. 

He’s alone for the afternoon since Renjun has lectures until evening, and Jeno usually stays back to train so that they can go home together. So, Yukhei takes the time to himself. He scoops up the bags, taking them to the kitchen to unpack.

After his last lecture and his meeting with his faculty advisor, Yukhei’s mind is all over the place. And as much as he knows that he should get started on his unit readings, Yukhei would much rather fall asleep on the couch eating from the tub of chocolate ice cream that he bought on a whim from roaming in the freezer aisle.

He scrolls through his phone, flicking through his text messages and replying to one from his younger brother that consists of a short family update mixed with complaints about school. It figures, Yukhei hasn’t spoken to his mother in a while. Any other time, he’d be reluctant to be on the brunt of his mother’s nagging about his well-being, but Yukhei could use a familiar voice right now. 

Yukhei grabs a coke from the fridge and selects his mother’s contact, resting his phone between his ear and his shoulder as it rings. He carries his drink to the coffee table and settling onto the couch.

“Ma,” he greets as soon as the line picks up.

_“Yukhei! What a surprise! Is something wrong?”_ His mother’s words come out in rapid-fire. It’s reminiscent of all the times that she used to speak to him after school, grilling him about what he had learnt, or to find out whether he had skipped cram school to hang out at the arcade. It’s comforting.

Yukhei lets out a breath of laughter, “Why do always assume that something’s wrong?”

_“Boy, I_ know _you. The last time you called was because you left your laptop back home and I had to send them to you. The shipping fee was ridiculous.”_

That had been a shitshow. Yukhei had kept pushing his flights back to Seoul to spend more time at home and ended up packing in a panic when he realised that he’d be arriving on the first day of lectures, forgetting everything important. Mark had laughed at him when Yukhei had scavenged their entire apartment looking for his laptop, only to realise that he had left back in Hong Kong. The earful he got from his mother was enough to deter him from making such a mistake again. 

After that, Mark had explained in detail to Yukhei the importance of making back-ups of his assessments. The shame of learning such basic things from someone regarded as the most technologically illiterate between their friend group was painful enough. Yukhei spent the days waiting for his laptop to arrive writing out his major project with a pen and paper. Deciphering his own chicken scratch handwriting had been a nightmare.

_“How’s Mark?”_ His mother asks. 

It’s not unusual. Yukhei has mentioned Mark to his family enough that his mother specifically sends Yukhei back to Korea with a box of Mark’s favourite mooncakes every time. It was worth it to see Mark’s face light up when he Yukhei gave it to him. In return, Mark did his best to send small gifts back to Yukhei’s mother in thanks. It makes Yukhei feel like a glorified courier man, but it secretly makes him happy that his mother and Mark get along so well. 

“He’s fine. Busy and stuff—” he sighs. “Mark’s good, ma.”

“ _Yukhei_.” Her voice comes through stern, making him feel instantly scolded much like he did as a child. 

“I just haven’t seen Mark in a while—” Yukhei confesses. He could never hide anything from his mother. Not as a kid, and certainly not now. “I’ve been staying with Jun for a while. I just need some space—”

_“Are you guys fighting?”_

“No—”

_“—Wong Yukhei, what did you do?”_

“Why do you assume that I did something?”

_“I raised you, that’s why.”_ His mother rebuts matter-of-factly, voice full of good humour. _“Besides, Mark is lovely.”_

Yukhei sighs, laying back down on the couch, staring at the ceiling. “Yeah, he is.”

_“I trust that you know how to fix things, Yukhei. Try not to take too long, Mark deserves that much.”_

Yukhei nods despite knowing that his mother can’t see it. “I will.”

_“I love you, sweetie. Don’t you ever forget that.”_

“Yes, ma.”

“ _Also remind me to send Renjun some extra food. I can’t believe that the poor boy has to look after you like a child— Wait until your_ grandma _hears about this—”_

“Ma!”

—

It’s on the eleventh day that Renjun has enough.

Yukhei is in the middle of watching TV and becoming one with the couch when Renjun hits him with one of the sofa cushions, expression exasperated. Yukhei should have seen it coming when Renjun started silently hovering near the living room.

“Hey—!”

“Get-up!” Renjun hits him with the cushion at every word.

“Jun, stop! What—?!”

“Mark-hyung basically gave you the go signal and you’re here moping in your underwear, re-watching The Good Place re-runs? Seriously?” 

Renjun grabs for the remote, turning the television off. Yukhei inwardly mourns the loss of re-watching Eleanor and Chidi attempt to murder Janet for the reset switch. 

“Don’t judge me! I’m in the middle of an existential crisis here.”

“What crisis? The love of your life agreed to marry you. The one and only Mark Lee agreed to be legally _bound_ to your dumb ass.”

“Well, not _officially_ —” Yukhei starts, but withers once Renjun glares at him. “Look— I don’t know how, or like, _what_ to say.” 

“You could propose to him using an onion ring and he’d probably still say yes.”

Yukhei doesn’t disagree with the notion, although he’s sure that Donghyuck would sooner castrate him that let that happen. And Renjun would bring it up at their family dinners for the rest of their lives. Mark deserves better than that. He always has.

Renjun throws one of the couch cushions at him, expression twisted into frustration.

Yukhei catches it, clutching the cushion in his hands and using it as a shield. “Aren’t you supposed to be on my side?” 

“This is me being on your side, ge.”

“Doesn’t feel like it,” he mutters under his breath. Renjun hears it though, and Yukhei knows that he’s messed up.

Yukhei hates the silent treatment from anyone, but his baby cousin’s version of the silent treatment is exceptionally long and painful. Treading the line of petty and guilt-trip inducing that had Yukhei commiserating with Jeno during one of the rare times that the couple got into an argument. 

Renjun’s lips downturn into a flat line and Yukhei doesn’t know any other way to remedy it, except being honest. Which he suspects is what Renjun wanted from him all along.

“I just— I just don’t know, okay?!” Yukhei voices out, a little too loud for the small confines of Renjun one-bedroom apartment. Too strained, too honest, and too full of all the insecurities that Yukhei has been harbouring this entire time. The tightness in his chest empties like a flood and Yukhei wishes he could take the words back but they’re already out in the open. 

Renjun’s face softens. 

“It’s not just the marriage thing is it?”

Yukhei inwardly curses his cousin’s ability to read him so well. “It’s a lot of things— the future, graduating— Do I go back home, or do I stay here? Is there any point?” 

He lets out a loud exhale. “And Mark…”

Mark is important. Incredibly so. Becoming more and more every day — so much that Yukhei is lost at the idea that Mark won’t be with him in the future. But Mark is his own person, with his own concerns about the future, and Yukhei can’t bear to bring any more burdens his way. Because knowing Mark, he’d try and make sacrifices to help Yukhei in any way he can. Mark has always been a martyr that way.

“You can’t actually believe that this whole thing is one-sided, do you?”

Renjun sits down next to him on the couch, hand reaching out to hold onto Yukhei’s own. Yukhei chokes a scoff of disbelief. It’s far too cynical for someone still clinging onto hope. But he grips onto Renjun’s hand anyway. 

“Ge, you know that I’m your number one supporter, right?” Renjun says softly. “I saw the way you reacted when you first met each other, and even now you’re ridiculously attuned to each other—”

“Like you and Jeno?” Yukhei cuts in with a small grin.

Renjun gives him a mild glare before shrugging him off. 

“You and Mark will be fine,” Renjun says adamantly. “But as for the future, ge. That’s something that we’re all confused about. You’re not alone in that, so let’s just take it a step at a time.”

Yukhei chokes out a small laugh. One of relief, and one of knowing that his baby cousin will always be there for him. 

“When did you get so wise, huh?”

Renjun grins. “That day when we were kids, playing hide-and-seek, and you got your head stuck in the trash-can, and then I realised that I was the only hope for our family.”

“ _Hey!_ ”

—

Yukhei arrives back at Renjun’s apartment a little worse for wear. His last lecture had gone through an extensive explanation of what would be in their final exam and their final project. Yukhei had already laid out some ideas for his film project, but the more that his lecturer talked about the weight of it all, he was starting to doubt himself. 

He drops his bag on the floor, slumping onto the couch with the intent of reviewing his lecture notes alongside his project plan — but by the time that his head hits the cushions, he’s already drifted off to sleep.

Yukhei wakes to quiet shuffling in the apartment. 

He groans to himself. He hadn’t even realised that he fell asleep. Sitting up blearily, he glances at the simple wooden clock on the wall just above the TV. 5:37 p.m. _Great_ , he’s lost two hours.

“Sorry, hyung. Did I wake you?” Jeno apologises, voice quieter than usual. 

Yukhei spins around, eyes blinking away the last vestiges of sleep to spot Jeno standing in the small kitchen area, bags of groceries on the tabletop, putting away a box of cereal on top of the fridge. 

“No, it’s fine. I should be up anyway,” Yukhei gets up, rubbing at his stomach. “Did you just get back?”

“Yeah, my lecture finished a bit early, so Renjun told me to go ahead and get groceries for dinner.”

“Do you need help?” 

“Nah, it’s fine.” Jeno waves him off. “I’ve just got a bit left anyway.” 

Yukhei nods and pours himself a glass of water from the fridge, sipping at it before deciding to watch TV for a bit before starting on his coursework. If Renjun were already home, he’d scold Yukhei for procrastinating so blatantly. But he isn’t, so Yukhei takes the opportunity to flick through the channels aimlessly.

“Oh right!” Jeno exclaims suddenly.

Yukhei blinks in confusion, watching as Jeno walks back to his shared room with Renjun without any explanation. When Jeno emerges again, he has a small package in hand as he approaches Yukhei.

“Mark-hyung asked to give this to you,” he explains, handing it to Yukhei. “I saw him on my way to the architecture building.”

Yukhei takes the package confusedly. On the outside of the package is a yellow post-it note written in a familiar scrawl saying: 

[ _in case you need him_ ]

Yukhei blinks at the note, not entirely sure what Mark means by it. But it isn’t until he unwraps the package that it all falls into place. 

It’s the small stuffed toy that Yukhei had won at their university fair last year. 

He and Mark had spent the majority of the evening together, walking around from stall to stall, trying out all the junk food imaginable before they conceded defeat after the deep-fried Oreos. Later, Yukhei had been itching to play one of the game stalls set up near the rides, so he challenged Mark to a competition of who could shoot the most hoops at the basketball game.

Mark had looked at him with a smirk and said, “Game on.”

They had paid the stall staff for their game, lining up at the counter with basketballs in hand, shooting hoops until the buzzer went off. 

Yukhei had won by a nine-point margin. 

He took his win gracelessly, shouting out loud while Mark continuously elbowed him asking for a rematch to redeem himself. Yukhei had laughed and taken his time choosing his prize from the selection lined up against the wall. Yukhei settled on a small lion plushie —a small cute thing with dark beaded eyes and fluffy black-brown fur — carrying it under his arm for the rest of the night.

Mark had complained the entire way back to their apartment. “If we played an actual game, I’d win.”

“If we played an actual game, the result would be much worse, Mark,” Yukhei had guffawed. 

Mark frowned, his bottom lip jutting out. It had caught Yukhei by surprise then — how cute Mark was. Always had been. Still is.

But Yukhei had taken pity on Mark then, pulling the shorter boy in and wrapping his arm around Mark’s shoulder, warmth seeping between them in the middle of the dark summer night. 

“Hey,” he had said softly. “Here, you can have him.”

“No, you won him fair and square.”

Yukhei shrugged. “Think of it as a gift.”

Mark had looked down at the plushie, running his fingers through the soft fluffy fur. He smiled, something soft, but something so infinitely _Mark_ that Yukhei had felt his heart stutter in a way that it hadn’t ever done before.

Mark turned back to Yukhei, smile wide and full of life. “Thank you.”

Yukhei had just nodded, almost afraid to speak at all. “Of course.”

Now, the plushie is back in Yukhei’s hands. Something that had been a gift, something that Mark kept safe. He hadn’t even been sure back then that Mark would even remember the gesture. Sure, he’d occasionally seen the small plush toy in Mark’s room, but he hadn’t given it more than a passing thought. 

But for Mark to offer it back to him even when they’re apart, when Yukhei had been the one to leave— it breaks Yukhei’s heart, and yet, gives him so much hope at the same time. 

“Are you okay, hyung?” Jeno asks, expression concerned at Yukhei’s extended silence. 

“Yeah, I’m good,” Yukhei says. “I just— I think I’ve gotta go somewhere.”

Yukhei immediately gets up from his seat, setting the plushie on the coffee table. He pulls his jacket on, rushing back to the front doorway and shoving his socked feet back into his sneakers. He barely pulls his laces together before opening the door to leave.

“Hyung!”

Yukhei turns back to Jeno, hand already gripped on the door handle. 

“Good luck,” Jeno says with a smile.

—

Yukhei speeds out of Renjun’s apartment, frantically checking his watch to note the time. Mark should be finishing up with a class in the next twenty minutes. 

Yukhei skips the idea of waiting for the bus and chooses to run to campus. It’s not too far. On any other day, Yukhei would relish the opportunity to take the twenty-minute walk to their university. But right now, his mind is frantic and all he can do is run to make sure that he’ll be there as soon as Mark comes out of his class.

He rushes passed the other students, ignoring the burn in his calves as he runs. He lets out a heavy breath of relief when he sees comes up to Mark’s building. Yukhei doesn’t spend much time at the Communications building. He’d only ever gone there to see drop off anything that Mark left at their apartment or the one time that Mark asked him to drop off his essay when he got caught up in a club meeting. 

Right now, it’s the most daunting building in his whole life. 

He hasn’t seen Mark in days, and it scares Yukhei not knowing how things stand between them. But it scares Yukhei more to know that if he doesn’t do anything now, it may make it all worse.

Standing by the entrance of the building, Yukhei dawdles around as his eyes scan the faces of the countless students filtering passed him. It’s a few minutes later until he spots the tell-tale ruffle of black hair and round wire-frame glasses.

He weaves through the crowd until he meets Mark halfway. Mark’s eyes widen once he spots Yukhei, disbelief written all over his face.

“Yukhei…” Mark’s voice comes out soft, almost lost, and Yukhei’s heart breaks at the thought that he was the one who did this to him. 

But he pushes on. If anyone was going to fix this, it was him.

“Can we talk?”

Mark presses his lips together, hands gripping the straps of his backpack a little tighter. And Yukhei finds himself holding his breath until Mark finally gives him a small smile. It feels a little like coming home.

“Sure.”

—

They leave campus, walking to the nearby park that they’ve been going to since first year. The park had been a source of relief, when they needed space to think, to breathe, or just to complain about how their coursework for the semester was turning out. 

It hadn’t meant to be a habit. But the first time Yukhei had gone for a run, he roped Mark into coming with him on the premise of playing a few rounds of basketball. The next week Mark had asked Yukhei to do the same thing. 

Now, it was a tradition. Even if they didn’t play basketball, or just spent hours staring up at the sky talking about stupid things together or jumping off the swings until they couldn’t stop laughing — the fact that it was just the two of them was what was most important.

They trace their steps wordlessly, hands shrugged into their jacket pockets. Mark puts a good bit of distance between them, not too far but it’s far cry from all the times that Yukhei could easily sling his arm around his shoulders. 

The silence stifles Yukhei, but it’s not the worst thing in the world. He has so many things he wants to say, but the fear of the words coming out wrong make them falter on his tongue. 

Reaching the entrance, Mark pushes the gate open. It lets a loud creak as they walk through. They settle at a bench in the far-left corner of the park, one that they always sit at, hidden under the shadows of the large tree behind it. 

Mark seats himself onto it, watching Yukhei until he realises that he isn’t going to sit down with him.

“So?” Mark speaks first. 

Mark had always been the type to approach first. He was stubbornly persistent like that, and for someone like Yukhei who was usually the first person to dive headfirst into anything, it was refreshing to have someone who was willing to beat him to it.

But right now, Yukhei was the one that brought the both of them here with the sole purpose of fixing this mess between them. And Yukhei refuses to lose his resolve. 

“How’ve you been?”

Mark blinks at that. It’s one hell of a segway, but Mark is used to the ebbs and flows that Yukhei’s mind takes to get to the point of things. 

So, Yukhei is grateful when Mark answers, “Fine. Just club activities and finals work, y’know.”

Yukhei does know. He had his fair share of work, but Mark was probably over-loading like the chronic workaholic he is. The few texts that he got from Mark likely barely scratched the surface.

“I’ve probably eaten way more take-out and cereal than what’s socially acceptable, but I’m still alive.”

“The apartment kind of feels empty without you though.” He adds, his voice a little quieter. 

“Oh.” Yukhei’s heart stutters at that. 

“Yukhei.”

Mark stares directly into Yukhei’s eyes, earnestness pouring out like a flood.

“I’m sorry if what I said freaked you out, I didn’t mean to—“ Mark rambles, hands twisted together. “It was out of line— I shouldn’t have— “

It shocks Yukhei. He doesn’t want to hear Mark apologise. He doesn’t want Mark to take back what he said. He’d do anything to hear Mark say those words to him again — to tell Yukhei that he wants the exact same thing that’s been plaguing Yukhei since the first day the idea popped into his head. 

That all this time that Yukhei has spent wanting, hoping and wishing for Mark to feel the same way isn’t wasted.

He wants it so badly.

“Yukhei?” Mark’s voice comes out strained, eyes burning into Yukhei’s. “Please say something?”

“Mark, do you trust me?”

Mark blinks, eyes wide but he doesn’t even stutter when he says, “Of course.”

“God, this is such a bad idea,” Yukhei mutters. 

But he’s made up his mind. It was now or never. 

He turns to Mark. “Wait here.”

Mark frowns, confused. “Yukhei, what—”

Yukhei runs out of the park gates, all the way back to the convenience store that they passed a block ago. He walks over to the old toy machines he spotted earlier, settling once he finds the one he’s looking for. He ruffles through the pocket of his jeans, pulling out the loose change he threw in there yesterday. He puts 500 won into the toy machine, twisting the dial until a small plastic container falls into the slot. 

He opens the container, a small silver ring with a smiley face at its centre. It’s not the best. It’s not even close to what he envisioned, and maybe this whole idea is absolutely wrong and stupid, but somehow Yukhei can’t seem to let it go. 

He grips the ring tight in his hand and runs back to the park where Mark is.

When he gets there, Mark is seated on one of the swings of the park, legs stretched out as he swings back and forth like a kid. He looks smaller from here, looking every bit as young and reckless as Yukhei feels. 

But Mark is still here, waiting for Yukhei. 

Always has been.

Yukhei takes a deep breath and walks over to Mark until the toes of their sneakers are touching. 

Mark glances up, eyes glassy and wide as he stares back at Yukhei. Yukhei feels his breath leave his throat as clarity hits him like a ten-foot truck. If he wasn’t sure about this earlier, he’s sure as hell sure about it now. He moves another step forward. It was now or never.

“Mark,” he starts, struggling to find the words before shaking his head to start over.

Yukhei gives up on perfect. There wasn’t going to be some fairytale perfect engagement story. It was just them. Yukhei and Mark. Two boys on the cusp of graduation and an undefined future. Yukhei is scared as fuck, but if Mark is with him, he’s sure he’ll survive. Somehow. No matter what.

Mark waits, waiting for the answer to what this all means. And it’s all Yukhei can do but to give it to him. 

“Mark Lee, you’re amazing, you know that? You amaze me every day with how you manage to do everything and do it well. You’re smart and talented, cute, pretty and fucking hot, but I never told you that because I was scared. I was scared of ruining what we have.”

Now that he’s started, Yukhei can’t stop. 

“But you’ve been so patient with me. You’ve helped me and befriended me since the first day we met. You make me better. You make me happy. And this might be stupid, because we’re too young and we don’t know what we’re doing, but I know this one thing. I want to be with you.”

“I want to wake up next to you every day. I want you to tell me how your day went and lean on me when you’re tired. I want to laugh at your dumb jokes and hold your hand when you cry. I want to be that person for you, Mark. I wanna be the person in your life that makes you as happy as you make me.” 

Yukhei exhales deep as he goes down on one knee, hands shaking as he reaches out to grab Mark’s hands in his own. The ring warm between his fingers. 

“Mark Lee, in some distant future, it doesn’t have to be now, it could be when we’re wrinkly and old, but Mark Lee, will you marry me?”

Mark hiccups, his voice soft, but his words are enough to lift the giant weight on Yukhei’s shoulders. In the dim glimmer of the streetlights overhead, Yukhei can see that Mark’s eyes are watery, and Yukhei hopes to god he can hold his own tears back, no matter the answer.

But then Mark smiles, wider than ever before and says, 

“Yes.”

—

“This is the most backwards progression of a relationship I’ve ever had to witness in my entire life,” Renjun says as he takes a sip of his sprite. 

“You say that as if you’re weren’t cheering for them the entire way,” Jeno chides knowingly as he slides over the plate of fries in front of his boyfriend.

They’re at a nearby restaurant with their friends, crammed onto a table at the back where the staff placed them knowing the undoubtable ruckus that they would bring. They had an entire story to catch up on.

The dinner had been a spontaneous idea, as in, Donghyuck and the rest of them had stormed their apartment with a demand to be fed and to be updated on the engagement story. Donghyuck had given them both a stern look and said, “The fact that Renjun and Jeno got to hear the story before I did offends me, but I’ll let it slide as long as you pay for dinner.”

After coming back from the park last night, they went to Renjun and Jeno’s apartment to retrieve Yukhei’s belongings now that his self-imposed isolation was deemed no longer necessary. It was one minute under the scrutinising eye of his cousin that Yukhei caved, pulling Mark’s hand into his, only to be pulled into congratulatory hugs by the younger couple.

They decided to let the rest of their friends know by posting simultaneously on Instagram, something that Mark thought was cheesy but was the easiest way without having to endure long-winded conversations on explaining how they got engaged before they even started properly dating. The entire thing still feels like a pipe dream to Yukhei’s mind, but the elated smile on Mark’s face whenever their eyes meet brings him back down to reality. 

“It was my moral obligation as his cousin to ensure that he doesn’t bring dishonour to our family,” Renjun says so seriously that Yukhei would almost believe him if he didn’t already know that his mother and his auntie had made a bet on which one of their kids would be daft enough to get married straight out of university. It was a joke, kind of. Not that his mother minded, really.

Yukhei’s mother had had a field day when he broke the news over Skype with Mark sitting next to him, shaking from nerves. If anything, his mother was ecstatic at the chance to help plan their wedding, no matter how far in the future it may be. 

“Did you just quote Mulan?” Donghyuck asks with brows raised.

Jaemin chooses to pipe in then, after thoroughly drinking down his monstrosity of an iced coffee. He leers at Donghyuck. “Does that make you Mushu then?”

“Shut up, _Nana_.”

Yukhei would be madder at being the butt of their jokes, but every time his eye catches the ring on Mark’s finger as if it belongs there that he can’t find it in himself to be anything other than ridiculously happy. It’s made even better when Mark catches him looking to give him a big grin.

Even still, Renjun always did know how to push his buttons.

“Did you cry? I bet you cried.”

Yukhei rolls his eyes, setting his drink down on the table. “Shut up, Huang Renjun. The day Jeno proposes to you, you’re gonna cry a river and I’m gonna get it on tape for the whole family to see.”

Renjun’s eyes narrow. “You wouldn’t dare.”

Yukhei just gives him a wide smile. The kind that makes Renjun speechless. In true form, his cousin huffs, turning to catch Mark’s attention instead.

Renjun gives Mark a solemn look. “He’s your problem now.”

Mark just laughs, and Yukhei loves how he doesn’t look the slightest bit disheartened by the idea. 

“I think I can handle him.”

—

After wrapping up dinner, pockets painfully drained, and now separated from the ruckus of their friends, they finally find themselves alone. Although Yukhei appreciates the company and their friends’ congratulations and excitement, he appreciates the surge of quiet that envelops them as they make their way down the street back towards their apartment. 

It feels a little bit different from what it used to be. A little bit more special as the two of them walk along the footpath 

He can imagine many more nights like this, just the two of them and the world of them. It excites Yukhei even more than he could ever dream of.

Yukhei stifles his surprise when he feels Mark slip his hands into his, smaller fingers intertwining with his own. It feels so warm, and Yukhei can’t hide the growing grin on his face. For something that he’s wanted for years, part of him struggles to believe that they’ve both made it to this point. _Together_. 

“You okay?” Mark asks.

Yukhei squeezes his hand in reply. “More than okay.”

They find themselves walking in silence, joined hands swinging by their sides, listening to the sounds of the evening and Mark humming quietly under his breath to a song that he was listening to earlier. 

“Have you heard back from any of the internships you applied for?” Mark asks.

“Mmm, KBS and SBS have slots open in their drama departments. I’m still deciding on which one to go with.”

Yukhei had been all nerves since he submitted his applications. Mark had cheered him all the way through the process despite being busy with his own. Yukhei could only sigh with relief when he opened his email yesterday, seeing two invitations to join their paid internship program was the reassurance that he needed. He may not know every single detail about his plans for the future, but Yukhei’s sure it’s just one positive step of many. 

“I was thinking,” Mark starts after a moment. 

Yukhei hums in reply to show that he’s listening.

“After graduation, maybe we can get move into an apartment a little bit out of the city. It’ll be a longer of a commute, but then we can save more money...” Mark trails off, unease creeping into his voice. 

“Mark Lee,” Yukhei says, unable to hide his growing grin. “Are you asking me to move in with you?” 

Mark shoots him a flat look, stopping both of them in their steps. They’re standing in the middle of the footpath, but it’s far too late into the night for anyone else to be on the street.

“Yukhei, we already live together.”

It’s true for now, their lease isn’t up until the end of the next two months. But still, the idea makes Yukhei happy — the fact that Mark is thinking of the future with them together. 

He waggles his brows, causing Mark to nudge him with his shoulder in annoyance, charging to walk ahead but unwilling to let go of Yukhei’s hand. 

Yukhei laughs, tugging Mark back with a smile, pulling him close to wrap his arms around Mark and meeting his eyes. 

“I’d _love_ to move in with you, my lovely fiancée.” 

Mark’s cheeks flush a deep red. It’s so adorable that Yukhei can’t help but press a kiss to Mark’s cheek. Mark’s face flushes all the way to his ears and Yukhei can’t help the joyous laughter that leaves his lips.

Mark shoves him away half-heartedly, letting his arms rest against Yukhei’s shoulders, fingers playing the hair at the base of Yukhei’s neck — warm and reassuring. “You’re a sap.”

It’s crazy how natural it feels, being with Mark, having him in his arms, being able to pull him close. Every day since their spontaneous engagement has almost been like a dream, but at the same time the things that they’ve always done together haven’t changed — they simply carry a deeper meaning now. 

The future is filled with so many what-ifs, but Yukhei isn’t scared anymore. Not when Mark will be right by his side. 

“You love me for it,” Yukhei says with a grin. 

Mark grins right back. “Yeah, I do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here is the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who stuck around and gave this fic a chance and found it the least bit interesting. I'm super happy to finally have been able to post a markhei fic, let alone a a multi-chaptered one. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading it. Please don't hesitate to comment and tell what you think :33
> 
> See you at the next fic :)

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this at the end of last year, but it's taken a while for me to finish it as it got progressively longer. I predicted this fic to be 6k at most, but it's grown to be a monster so I'll be posting it in chapters lol 
> 
> I've been wanting to write something for markhei since forever and now it's officially become me longest fic ever lol. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated. Please let me know what you think :3


End file.
